Hanka G
Quick Facts
Biography
Hanka Gregušová known under her stage name Hanka G. Hanka G was born in Slovakia and moved to the New York in September 2016. She is jazz, gospel & world-music, singer and lyricist.
Early life
Hanka was born in Mongolia, where her parents worked as geologists on an expedition. Growing up, Hanka's vocals were tested in different musical genres.
Career
Hanka was awarded a grant from the Slovak Music Fund to support the recording of her debut album "Reflections of my soul", which was produced by Radovan Tariška, a saxophone player of the Slovak jazz scene, who also performs on the album together with other musicians – virtuoso jazz pianist Ondrej Krajňák, Tomáš Baroš on double bass and Marián Ševčík on drums.
In 2014, Hanka was signed by Hevhetia Publishing House and released in July second solo album produced by jazz pianist Ondrej Krajnak, who also worked with her on her first CD. The album is called Essence and it is a tribute to Slovak folklore songs rearranged into jazzy tunes by Krajňák. Slovak and Czech jazz musicians worked with her on this album, such as Josef Fečo (double bass, cymbalo), Radovan Tariška (alt and soprano saxophone), Marián Ševčík (drums), Štefan Bugala (percussion), and Ivan Herák's cymbalo band.
In December 2016, Hanka released her third solo album recorded in duo with pianist Ondrej Krajňák, who also worked on her previous two CDs. The album is called Twin Flame and pays tribute to celebrated jazz pianists. Hanka decided to work with selected instrumental tunes written by well-known jazz pianists, vocalized them and wrote her own lyrics. (Ernest Oláh – famous gipsy Slovak pianist, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Thelonious Monk, Ondrej Krajňák, Mal Waldron, etc.). At the same time, this album represents the pinnacle of cooperation with one of the Europe best composers-pianists, Ondrej Krajňák from Slovakia. The album was named after his original composition Twin Flames. This name captures the essence of both artists whose music is something like karmic twin flames, representing one soul in two bodies, the balance between a female and male principle.
Discography
Leader
- 2016 Twin Flame (S. E. SMITH, s.r.o.)
- 2014 Essence (Hevhetia)
- 2007 Reflections of my soul (Music Fund)
Sideman
- 2016 The Last Days Of Jesus - The Last Circus
- 2014 Sisa Michalidesova - Expresie
Sources and external links
- Hanka G (Hanka Gregušová) official website
- Hanka G at AllAboutJazz.com
- Hanka G at TA3 television – Talk show of Adela Banášová (in Slovak) – "Trochu Inak" in Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Slovakia, January 2015
- Hanka G at Nominations for the Radio Head Awards 2014 (in Slovak) – Record of the year 2014 in Jazz music category – Hanka Gregušová and her CD Essence
- Leaflet of Memorial Baptist Church in Harlem, New York
- Hanka G at Ojahmediagroup Artists List